NPR correspondent, Ofeibea Quist-Arcton (http://www.npr.org/people/4513318/ofeibea-quist-arcton), has THE best name ever. And possibly the best voice, too. When she signs off, the way she says her name and her city, Dakar, is heavenly

You can hear her here (http://www.npr.org/2012/09/10/160864049/for-many-s-africans-strikes-recall-apartheid-era).

That is all.

WordMan

09-19-2012, 03:21 PM

Da-Kaaarrrrrr!!!

Between her and Silvia Poggioli, I can curl up and listen to them talk for the full show.

Slow Moving Vehicle

09-19-2012, 03:31 PM

Back before Maria Hinojosa left NPR for CNN, I used to love hearing her say her name - it sounded like a satin ribbon slipping through her fingers.

NPR seems to have a hiring requirement that their correspondents have euphonius names. Nell Greenfield Boyce and Mara Liassen are two more of my faves.

PoorYorick

09-19-2012, 03:33 PM

I've had a crush on Christiane Amanpour for years. Her last name sounds like three loving pats on my head.

Ellen Cherry

09-19-2012, 03:35 PM

I'm partial to Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson. (I always imagine her husband's name is Joe Nelson, or maybe even Joe-Bob, but I see from her biography it's Erik.)

neofishboy

09-19-2012, 04:02 PM

A favorite of mine (name, not particularly voice) is defense spokesman Flex Plexico. It sounds like it could be part of the "manly names" bit in the MST3K episode 12 To The Moon.

Between her and Silvia Poggioli, I can curl up and listen to them talk for the full show.
No fucking joke. I was at a party one time where all of us took turns imitating how she says her name. And then (firmly): ROME.

I've had a crush on Christiane Amanpour for years. Her last name sounds like three loving pats on my head.
I'm going to be her in my next life...

Slow Moving Vehicle

09-19-2012, 04:50 PM

I'm partial to Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson. (I always imagine her husband's name is Joe Nelson, or maybe even Joe-Bob, but I see from her biography it's Erik.)

Oh, yeah, she's got a great name, and an intriguing voice. Plus, the contrast between her Arabic first and maiden names and her white bread Anglo surname amuses me.

Max Torque

09-20-2012, 09:16 AM

I've always liked Magnus ver Magnusson's name. How could you be anything but the World's Strongest Man with a name like that?

And yet, the manliest name in the worst belongs to Staff Sgt. Max Fightmaster (http://www.cracked.com/funny-2592-staff-sgt.-max-fightmaster/).

Ludovic

09-20-2012, 09:18 AM

I always liked Psoriasis Hari Nelson's name, too.

Lasciel

09-20-2012, 09:57 AM

I have to admit, as a Tolkien geek, the first time she introduced herself, I thought her name was Ofeibea Orcrist Arcton, and I was thrilled beyond words.

Nevertheless, it's still the kickassest name on NPR, and her accent is to die for.

Jim's Son

09-20-2012, 10:09 AM

There was a baseball player in the 1950s known as Cal McLish but his full name was Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_McLish

FordTaurusSHO94

09-20-2012, 10:10 AM

Former NASCAR driver Dick Trickle doesn't get a nod?

Labdad

09-20-2012, 10:20 AM

Me, I like Lakshmi Singh (http://www.npr.org/people/2101212/lakshmi-singh)!

Little Nemo

09-20-2012, 10:33 AM

Gugu Mbatha-Raw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbRz3MHM6rw)

On a side-note, she did a good job on her American accent in Larry Crowne. It was the first thing I had seen her in and I didn't realize she was British until I saw her doing an interview later.

don't ask

09-20-2012, 10:38 AM

From Australia we can only manage something a little more prosaic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROeDUCn8c-8).

Wow. I had no idea her name was spelled that way...and I had no idea she was that cute! A new NPR crush!

Ellen Cherry

09-20-2012, 11:25 AM

I always think of gymnastics when she's on. Wasn't there some move called a Triple Sow-Cow? :D I've liked her since she did a personal piece about having to keep her children indoors because of all the pollution where she lives, Beijing I think.

ZipperJJ

09-20-2012, 11:40 AM

I like Deblina Chakraborty from HowStuffWorks.

conway

09-20-2012, 11:59 AM

I've liked her since she did a personal piece about having to keep her children indoors because of all the pollution where she lives, Beijing I think.

That was Louisa Lim. (http://www.npr.org/2011/12/07/143214875/clean-air-a-luxury-in-beijings-pollution-zone)

Slow Moving Vehicle

09-20-2012, 12:35 PM

I always think of gymnastics when she's on. Wasn't there some move called a Triple Sow-Cow? :D I've liked her since she did a personal piece about having to keep her children indoors because of all the pollution where she lives, Beijing I think.

You're thinking of the triple salchow in figure skating. But I can see why you are.

Dewey Finn

09-20-2012, 12:46 PM

I lived in New York State like twenty years ago and every Tuesday night, they had various women reading the winning numbers aloud. One of those women was Yolanda Vega, and she had a really great way of saying her own name. I remember one radio station even had a contest to see if any of the listeners could duplicate her delivery. (I did a Google search and found this New York Daily News article (http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-02-06/local/27055568_1_new-york-lottery-yolanda-vega-20th-anniversary) on her.)

Agent Foxtrot

09-20-2012, 12:50 PM

NPR correspondent, Ofeibea Quist-Arcton (http://www.npr.org/people/4513318/ofeibea-quist-arcton), has THE best name ever. And possibly the best voice, too. When she signs off, the way she says her name and her city, Dakar, is heavenly

You can hear her here (http://www.npr.org/2012/09/10/160864049/for-many-s-africans-strikes-recall-apartheid-era).

That is all.Yep. I listened to her for the first time last week when she did a report on African miners. I re-listened three times simply because of her voice and accent.

kayaker

09-20-2012, 12:53 PM

No fucking joke. I was at a party one time where all of us took turns imitating how she says her name. And then (firmly): ROME..

I doubt we were at the same party, but we've done the same.

WordMan

09-20-2012, 12:59 PM

I doubt we were at the same party, but we've done the same.

I whisper it along with her when I am in the car - Sil-vyah Poh-zjoly, Rome.

Me too, especially since she pronounces it like Dub-leena. Dub-leena Shock-ra-bordy, I always find myself whispering on the subway, listening to the podcast.

Crotalus

09-20-2012, 01:32 PM

I whisper it along with her when I am in the car - Sil-vyah Poh-zjoly, Rome.And I always try to anticipate how hard and long Ofeibia Quist-Arcton is going to hit the second syllable of Dakar and say it along with her. "Dakarrrrrr!"

What's wrong with us? :)

I always liked Boutros Boutros Ghali, especially if you pronounce Ghali like you're Gomer Pyle.That's how I pronounce it in my head, too.

LawMonkey

09-20-2012, 02:21 PM

Terri Gross's name is fairly pedestrian, but she sure knows how to say FRRRRRRRRRResh Air!

ecoaster

09-20-2012, 02:24 PM

stateside, Nancy Ann Cianci is definitely a contender.

Ludovic

09-20-2012, 02:37 PM

I always liked Boutros Boutros Ghali, especially if you pronounce Ghali like you're Gomer Pyle.Well, from now on I will.

Jophiel

09-20-2012, 02:47 PM

Way back in the day, I used to tune in to Air America's "Morning Sedition" purely to listen to Sue Ellicott.

Roderick Femm

09-20-2012, 02:55 PM

Back before Maria Hinojosa left NPR for CNN, I used to love hearing her say her name - it sounded like a satin ribbon slipping through her fingers.

NPR seems to have a hiring requirement that their correspondents have euphonius names. Nell Greenfield Boyce and Mara Liassen are two more of my faves.Hinojosa still has a program on NPR called, I think, Latino USA, and I agree that when she speaks Spanish it's like liquid gold.

There's a woman who reports from Asia whose name I enjoy - Doualy Xaykaothao, pronounced dwa lee sy ky tao. I believe she pronounces it dwa-ha-lee sai-kow-tow, where the "ha" in the first name is barely breathed. I've never looked it up so I didn't know how it was spelled, but all three syllables in the last name are given the same emphasis when she says it.

Roddy

Jophiel

09-20-2012, 02:58 PM

I was distracted and lost my edit window but, keeping with the OP, I was quite fond of the flow of "Ellicott" as well as her voice.

Slow Moving Vehicle

09-20-2012, 09:42 PM

I whisper it along with her when I am in the car - Sil-vyah Poh-zjoly, Rome.

She always sounds to me as if she has to catch herself to keep from saying "Roma". As for her wonderful name, well, that sounds like something foodies brag about eating on a trip to Italy: "Oh, Jim and I found this little trattoria off the Via Rospigoli that made the best Sylvia Poggioli! It's so much better with fresh basil and buffolata mozzarella, you know..."

I was surprised the first time I saw Don Gonyea's name in print. NPR names being what they are, I was sure it had some exotic spelling, like "Ghoenjeah", with an umlaut or two. Just like I'm certain that the big bosses at NPR are putting the screws to the host of All Things Considered, to get him to spell his name "Hrothbeart Tsei-Ghall".

Of course! Not mellifluous, but it scores a solid 10 on the scale of badassery.

Ellen Cherry

09-21-2012, 05:37 AM

That was Louisa Lim. (http://www.npr.org/2011/12/07/143214875/clean-air-a-luxury-in-beijings-pollution-zone)

You're thinking of the triple salchow in figure skating. But I can see why you are.

Well I'm totally full of NPR fail today. :( I feel like Eleanor Beardsley Paris. She's Like the anti-Sylvia Poggioli.

IvoryTowerDenizen

09-21-2012, 06:08 AM

WNYC, also an NPR station:

Soterios Johnson. I love the way he says it.

Jonathan Chance

09-21-2012, 07:07 AM

From Australia we can only manage something a little more prosaic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROeDUCn8c-8).

Awesome. Back when I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby was in trouble in the Bush II administration we had the interesting event of Libby Lewis covering him.

So it was Libby Lewis reporting on Lewis Libby.

Ludovic

09-21-2012, 11:06 AM

Speaking of Johnson, I can't help but chuckle every time I hear NPR introduce economist Hugh Johnson.

WordMan

09-21-2012, 11:52 AM

Eleanor Beardsley Paris.

I can't handle her voice; and hearing her slip into French just sounds jarring; as an American, I feel I can say "she has kind of a grating American accent." Something sharp in the tone, especially compared to the Goddess Poggioli...

Rollo Tomasi

09-21-2012, 12:11 PM

I'm a big fan of film composer Dario Marianelli's name (and his music). Say it out loud. It's very aesthetically pleasing.

Jenaroph

09-21-2012, 12:20 PM

I always liked Psoriasis Hari Nelson's name, too.

I'm kind of a fan of Cloudy O'Sanchez myself.

njtt

09-21-2012, 01:09 PM

To return to NPR reporters' names, the most puzzling, to me, is Michele Norris (http://www.npr.org/people/2100974/michele-norris), an ordinary enough name, except for the fact that she herself, in her beautifully articulated voice, quite distinctly pronounces her own first name as Nichelle. (A Star Trek hommage maybe?)

I am also surprised no-one has yet mentioned Mandalit del Barco (http://www.npr.org/people/2100429/mandalit-del-barco). I once heard Ms del Barco tell a story about a woman who wrote in complimenting her on her beautiful name, going on to say that she had named her chihuahua after her.

WordMan

09-21-2012, 01:14 PM

To return to NPR reporters' names, the most puzzling, to me, is Michele Norris (http://www.npr.org/people/2100974/michele-norris), an ordinary enough name, except for the fact that she herself quite distinctly pronounces her own first name as Nichelle. (A Star Trek hommage maybe?)

No - she pronounces it as MEE-shell - "MEE-shell Norris" - not sure where you are getting the N. Still frustrating - she sounds nitpicky when, in fact, it is her name. She should smack her parents.

And they know it, too. There's a reason that the only prize they offer is Kassel's voice on your home answering machine - what more could you want?

JKellyMap

09-24-2012, 01:17 AM

No - she pronounces it as MEE-shell - "MEE-shell Norris" - not sure where you are getting the N. Still frustrating - she sounds nitpicky when, in fact, it is her name. She should smack her parents.

I was going to post that I, too, always hear it as "Nichelle". Turns out this is because she pronounces her name with equal stress on both syllables (unlike 99.9% of the Michelles in the world, who stress the second syllable), and because of what sounds English speakers happen to be accustomed to hearing in certain sound contexts, we (at least some of us) misperceive this as "Nichelle".

JKellyMap

09-24-2012, 01:38 AM

Most of the really good NPR names have already been mentioned, but I'll add Dina Temple-Raston. (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dina_Temple-Raston)

And they know it, too. There's a reason that the only prize they offer is Kassel's voice on your home answering machine - what more could you want?

When the show first began, that's the only prize they could afford. Now, it's the prize because, as you say, what more could you want?

kenobi 65

09-24-2012, 04:31 PM

I've had a crush on Christiane Amanpour for years. Her last name sounds like three loving pats on my head.

My wife's name is Christiane, though neither of her surnames (both her maiden name and married name) are as mellifluous as Ms. Amanpour's. :)

Ludovic

09-24-2012, 04:36 PM

I'm kind of a fan of Cloudy O'Sanchez myself.I like hearing that name, too, for a different reason -- it's fun to pretend that the singer from Coheed and Cambria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_Sanchez) is moonlighting as a reporter.

Evin

09-24-2012, 05:25 PM

I always delighted at the dissonance of former Wake Forest
basketball's Jamaal Levy.

Another NPR correspondent - Neda Ulaby (http://www.npr.org/people/3850482/neda-ulaby). I just like the way it sounds.

Wargamer

09-25-2012, 10:05 AM

So, how in the world did plain old Paul Brown get hired by NPR?????

(I used to listen to Paul when he was news director at WFDD down here in North Cackalackey).

MrSquishy

09-25-2012, 01:10 PM

Benedict Cumberbatch

Joey Jojo Junior Shabadoo

kenobi 65

09-25-2012, 02:06 PM

Benedict Cumberbatch

If there was ever a man whose birth name was straight out of a Dickens novel, it is him. :)

hogarth

09-26-2012, 01:36 PM

Manly Wade Wellman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manly_Wade_Wellman)

ThelmaLou

09-26-2012, 02:14 PM

Manly Wade Wellman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manly_Wade_Wellman)
WHOA! That's quite a name to live UP to.

HenryGale

09-26-2012, 02:43 PM

There was a contestant on American Idol a few years ago named Didi Benami.

To this day, my wife and I still like to say her name in a sort of sing-song, Pikachu voice.

"Didib'NAMI!"

denquixote

09-26-2012, 03:01 PM

My favorite from sports was a running back from the Ohio State University, Hiawatha Francisco.

Groucho Twain

09-26-2012, 04:09 PM

Apropos of nothing (other than the numerous mentions of NPR on-air personalities), it took me years to realize it's "Marco Gorman", not "Mark O'Gorman".

ThelmaLou

09-26-2012, 04:16 PM

Apropos of nothing (other than the numerous mentions of NPR on-air personalities), it took me years to realize it's "Marco Gorman", not "Mark O'Gorman".
If you're talking about PRI's The World, it's Marco Werman. (http://www.theworld.org/team/marco-werman/)

suranyi

09-26-2012, 06:39 PM

I've been amused by the name of gold-medal winning swmmer Ranomi Kromowidjojo. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranomi_Kromowidjojo)

ThelmaLou

09-26-2012, 07:10 PM

I've been amused by the name of gold-medal winning swmmer Ranomi Kromowidjojo. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranomi_Kromowidjojo)

I'm going to name my next kitten that.

Slow Moving Vehicle

09-26-2012, 09:31 PM

Another NPR correspondent - Neda Ulaby (http://www.npr.org/people/3850482/neda-ulaby). I just like the way it sounds.

Like something you sing to your infant daughter to lull her to sleep.

Seriously, does NPR require their on-air talent to have mellifluous monikers? "I'm sorry, Mr. Smith. While the Pulitzer you won at the New York Times is impressive, we feel you're just not right for NPR. Try CNN."

For years I thought I was listening to Daniels Wordling instead of Daniel Zwerdling (http://www.npr.org/people/4173096/daniel-zwerdling). I always thought it interesting there was someone named "Daniels" instead of "Daniel." :smack:

ThelmaLou

09-27-2012, 03:29 PM

I can recall being shocked -- but not displeased -- to learn that the "Marketplace" host I'd always known as "Guy Rizdoll" is actually Kai Ryssdal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Ryssdal).NO KIDDING!

I must adjust my mental picture of a guy named "Guy" to a guy named "Kai." Oh dear. Not sure I can do that.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper has a pretty decent name, but an absolute purr in her voice when she talks about interesting or beloved foods on The Splendid Table.
Her name is nice, but her voice makes me want to chew nails and stomp on kittens (okay, not the second). To me, her voice is the auditory definition of the word "smarmy." If anyone asks me what does smarmy mean, I tell them, "Listen to The Splendid Table." Her voice brings together in a perfect blend all the qualities I don't like in people when I don't like them: it's arrogant, patronizing, phony, superior, affected... full of fakery, stylization, snottiness, pretense... I could go on and on. I feel better. Thank you for providing the opportunity.

MeanOldLady

09-27-2012, 03:50 PM

I can recall being shocked -- but not displeased -- to learn that the "Marketplace" host I'd always known as "Guy Rizdoll" is actually Kai Ryssdal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Ryssdal).Oh my god, Steve Insky's name is Steve Inskeep! :eek: What else are these people hiding?

Asimovian

09-27-2012, 03:59 PM

Oh my god, Steve Insky's name is Steve Inskeep! :eek: What else are these people hiding?I actually have a tight connection with someone at the local NPR affiliate, but there are certain things I'm simply not at liberty to divulge. So few know the truth about the real name of Bob Edwards...

Slow Moving Vehicle

09-27-2012, 04:26 PM

I actually have a tight connection with someone at the local NPR affiliate, but there are certain things I'm simply not at liberty to divulge. So few know the truth about the real name of Bob Edwards...

Some things Man was not meant to know.

Gagundathar

09-27-2012, 04:48 PM

NPR correspondent, Ofeibea Quist-Arcton (http://www.npr.org/people/4513318/ofeibea-quist-arcton), has THE best name ever. And possibly the best voice, too. When she signs off, the way she says her name and her city, Dakar, is heavenly

You can hear her here (http://www.npr.org/2012/09/10/160864049/for-many-s-africans-strikes-recall-apartheid-era).

That is all.

1) That was an extremely well-done radio piece on the platinum miners in South Africa by this extraordinary talent.
2) Her name and her voice are well worth listening to her reading a phone book.
3) She looks like a very nice lady in her images. Attractive and approachable. She probably does great interviews.
4) Thanks for this. I didn't know this lady's work before.

eschereal

09-27-2012, 05:02 PM

Throatwarbler Mangrove

That is just wrong. You may not spell that name phonetically.

ThelmaLou

09-27-2012, 05:07 PM

Throatwarbler Mangrove

Gargle with salt water twice a day and put Vicks VapoRub on your chest at night, and that will clear right up.

JackieLikesVariety

09-27-2012, 05:18 PM

loved this whole thread and the OP's link was so excellent - now there's an accent. I want all of us to begin talking like that now.

about The Splendid Table

Her voice brings together in a perfect blend all the qualities I don't like in people when I don't like them: it's arrogant, patronizing, phony, superior, affected... full of fakery, stylization, snottiness, pretense...

OMG this is so true! when I can get past it - like I'm traveling and no other radio station comes in - I enjoy the content of her show but that voice - yuck.

Ferret Herder

09-27-2012, 05:24 PM

Her name is nice, but her voice makes me want to chew nails and stomp on kittens (okay, not the second). To me, her voice is the auditory definition of the word "smarmy." If anyone asks me what does smarmy mean, I tell them, "Listen to The Splendid Table." Her voice brings together in a perfect blend all the qualities I don't like in people when I don't like them: it's arrogant, patronizing, phony, superior, affected... full of fakery, stylization, snottiness, pretense... I could go on and on. I feel better. Thank you for providing the opportunity.
I believe you've confused her with Ina Garten of The Barefoot Contessa. :p I listened to one episode where she had a sore throat and the strong New York accent that she'd been suppressing came out with a vengeance.

ThelmaLou

09-27-2012, 05:49 PM

I believe you've confused her with Ina Garten of The Barefoot Contessa. :p I listened to one episode where she had a sore throat and the strong New York accent that she'd been suppressing came out with a vengeance.
You are so right. And that nervous, little-girl giggle.

TheBoltEater

09-27-2012, 08:54 PM

Unless I somehow missed it, I can't believe this thread has gone this long without anyone mentioning the great Name of the Year (http://nameoftheyear.blogspot.com/) website. This year's winner was Dr. Taco B.M. Monster, but my personal favorite is 2009 champion (and likely 2013 NFL top 10 draft pick!) Barkevious Mingo.

Ellen Cherry

09-28-2012, 08:58 AM

BM Monster! :eek:

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro is a pretty good name. I heard her yesterday and thought of this thread.

Since we've drifted into voices, I'd like to purchase a neti pot for the health or medical reporter ... I can't think of her name. Come to think of it, I haven't heard her in a while. Does anyone know who I'm talking about? She always sounds like she's got a stuffed up nose.

Asimovian

09-28-2012, 10:37 AM

Turning back to NPR for the moment, after paying close attention to all of the names on the drive in today, I realized I'd been remiss in failing to mention the lovely Yuki Noguchi (http://www.npr.org/people/96022165/yuki-noguchi), whose name falls very much into the "try saying that five times fast" category.

ThelmaLou

09-28-2012, 12:33 PM

Unless I somehow missed it, I can't believe this thread has gone this long without anyone mentioning the great Name of the Year (http://nameoftheyear.blogspot.com/) website. This year's winner was Dr. Taco B.M. Monster, but my personal favorite is 2009 champion (and likely 2013 NFL top 10 draft pick!) Barkevious Mingo.
We were waiting for you! Thank goodness you finally checked in!

Ellen Cherry

09-29-2012, 06:06 AM

BM Monster! :eek:

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro is a pretty good name. I heard her yesterday and thought of this thread.

Since we've drifted into voices, I'd like to purchase a neti pot for the health or medical reporter ... I can't think of her name. Come to think of it, I haven't heard her in a while. Does anyone know who I'm talking about? She always sounds like she's got a stuffed up nose.

Joanne Silberner (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/fashion/weddings/joanne-silberner-howard-frumkin-weddings.html?_r=0)! It came to me this morning. And I was right, she hasn't been on the air in two years. (Link is to her wedding announcement in the New York Times. She married a guy with the CDC!)

Slow Moving Vehicle

09-30-2012, 12:41 AM

Joanne Silberner (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/fashion/weddings/joanne-silberner-howard-frumkin-weddings.html?_r=0)! It came to me this morning. And I was right, she hasn't been on the air in two years. (Link is to her wedding announcement in the New York Times. She married a guy with the CDC!)

What?! I love Joanne Silberner's voice! I haven't heard it in a while (and now I know why - thank you, Ellen Cherry). The reporter whose voice always mildly annoys me is Peter Overby. He's got just a little bit of a lisp.

Peter Overby sounds so much like David Sedaris I thought that's who it was when I first heard him!

Slow Moving Vehicle

10-01-2012, 12:36 PM

Hmm. Have they ever been seen together?

ThelmaLou

05-08-2013, 02:17 PM

In The Atlantic online: "Why Do NPR Reporters Have Such Great Names?" (http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/why-do-npr-reporters-have-such-great-names/275493/) Do you suppose they got the idea from us? (I think there was another SDMB thread on NPR names, but I didn't search for it.)

ETA. They DID get the idea from here. The article links to this thread. Cool.

Dewey Finn

05-08-2013, 02:26 PM

I think this (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=671771) is the other thread you're thinking of; Best Names in Public Radio.

WordMan

05-08-2013, 03:37 PM

In The Atlantic online: "Why Do NPR Reporters Have Such Great Names?" (http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/why-do-npr-reporters-have-such-great-names/275493/) Do you suppose they got the idea from us? (I think there was another SDMB thread on NPR names, but I didn't search for it.)

ETA. They DID get the idea from here. The article links to this thread. Cool.

Cool - they quoted you in The Atlantic!

ThelmaLou

05-08-2013, 03:57 PM

I got a rejection slip from them years ago for a short story I sent... I forgive them now.

kayaker

05-08-2013, 04:19 PM

Heh. Cool.

kcor1953

05-08-2013, 05:09 PM

I can't handle her [ Eleanor Beardsley's] voice; and hearing her slip into French just sounds jarring; as an American, I feel I can say "she has kind of a grating American accent." Something sharp in the tone, especially compared to the Goddess Poggioli...

I remember this post from last year, as the thread has resurfaced I'll give you another angle on Eleanor Beardsley's voice--it reminds me of the young careful strong precise women of my youth, who intended to take their place in the world's affairs and no mistake.

A visual reminder of them, for me, is the young woman in the movie Forrest Gump who herds everybody into (or off of, I forget) the bus at the Mall in DC and accidentally herds Gump too. If Beardsley doesn't resemble that stereotype I will be disappointed.

And she has that Beatles-ie name.

Boyo Jim

05-08-2013, 11:07 PM

Voice aside, I've always been find of the name of the Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen.

And then there's the terrific Swedish girl reportedly with a dragon tattoo -- Noomi Rapace. And, OMG, you put her in a nice gown with a good hair style, and ... oomph (http://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/2668870/noomi-rapace-prometheus-premiere-13/).

WordMan

05-09-2013, 06:27 AM

I remember this post from last year, as the thread has resurfaced I'll give you another angle on Eleanor Beardsley's voice--it reminds me of the young careful strong precise women of my youth, who intended to take their place in the world's affairs and no mistake.

A visual reminder of them, for me, is the young woman in the movie Forrest Gump who herds everybody into (or off of, I forget) the bus at the Mall in DC and accidentally herds Gump too. If Beardsley doesn't resemble that stereotype I will be disappointed.

And she has that Beatles-ie name.

Oh yeah - she definitely sounds like a more-tightly-wound Katharine Hepburn. I don't recall the character from Gump, but if she looked like a buttoned-down school-marm, I buy it...

Slade

05-09-2013, 09:27 AM

Tiny LaVonda. (http://www.phreeque.com/tiny_lavonda.html)

kcor1953

05-09-2013, 11:49 AM

Oh yeah - she definitely sounds like a more-tightly-wound Katharine Hepburn. I don't recall the character from Gump, but if she looked like a buttoned-down school-marm, I buy it...

We-e-e-ell, not 'zackly.

The gal in the silver helmet in this, about 1:20 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_BS-OZyaX0

I'm in love.

wadadlibeer

09-06-2016, 08:13 PM

Wow. I had no idea her name was spelled that way...and I had no idea she was that cute! A new NPR crush!